January-February Newsletter 2013

Association members will vote for the 2013 Board of Directors. Seven people are elected to the Board and they, in turn, decide upon the position in which they wish to serve. If you want to run for the Board or vote in the election, you must be an Association member, resident of Parrot Cove. In order to vote, you must attend this meeting.

Want to learn more about the positions before volunteering? Call a current Board member. Nominations will be taken from the floor but we hope to e-blast a tentative list of candidates prior to the meeting.

SPEAKER – DUSTIN MCCABE

Dustin McCabe, Pro at the Lake Worth Golf Course is our guest speaker for the January meeting. He will bring us up-to-date on the course and the clubhouse facilities. Since the course is the eastern border of Parrot Cove and many of our residents are golfers, the topic should be of great interest to residents.

REVIEW OF 2012

We moved our meetings to a new venue – Believers’ Victory Church at 10th and Lakeside which allowed us to change the meeting date to Monday nights. Pastor Peggy, in addition to providing assistance for our Home Tour, opened the doors of her church to us.

The new night made it possible to bring in speakers from City government who were unable to attend our Tuesday evening events. In 2012, City Manager Bornstein, Mayor Triolo and Commissioner Amoroso were among our presenters.

The March 4 Home Tour was a success with 400 tickets sold in spite of the day starting with a cold front and rain. Pedicabs helped attendees reach properties as far north as 13th Street. Finger food, beverages and live entertainment, centered on the parking lot at Believers’ Victory, were included in the ticket price along with the two churches, golf course and seven private homes that were open to visitors.

Parrot Cove donated to two local organizations this year. In September we donated $350 in school supplies to Lake Worth grade schools via the Lake Worth Library. In December we gathered ‘gifts’ from members who attended our Christmas party which were donated, along with $300 in Wal-Mart gift certificates, to local residents in need via Adopt-A-Family.

The following is the thank you note from Adopt-A-Family:

Many thanks to the Parrot Cove Neighborhood Association for the donations this holiday season.

I’m very happy to say that all the donations that came in over the month of December, helped more than 200 of our families have food and presents for the holidays.

We truly appreciate you all reaching out to help our families who are really working hard toward self-sufficiency. Your kindness has made a big impact in our community.

Happy New Year!

Cheré Camus Brodi

Development Director Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, Inc.

.Parrot Cove members marched in the Holiday Parade, dressed in Parrot or Christmas clothing, and handed out almost 3,000 candy canes to children along the route.

Parrot-In-The Hood parties continued to be so successful the Board is considering increasing the number of events in 2013. The Holiday Party set a record – just short of 100 guests! Parties are limited to Association members (your dues help to pay for the parties) so remember to renew your 2013 membership.

A Street Painting Festival square, used to promoted the Home Tour, was sponsored by Parrot Cove at the cost of $150. Artist Alejandra Rodriquez volunteered her time to create a jigsaw puzzle parrot.

Parrot Cove’s submission for the July 4th Raft Race was built by Terry Ralston and Steve Carr. A big and enthusiastic crowd of neighbors were there to cheer on our team.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Take a step back in time and immerse yourself in the wild nightlife of a 1920’s speakeasy at the first of two Lake Worth Playhouse fundraisers,Speakeasy, on January 23 at the Playhouse. Enjoy a night of drinking, gambling, hors d’ourves, cabaret and jazz singers – all for $35.

On February 9 the Playhouse will welcome donors with an elegant, intimate evening of cocktails, dining, dancing, silent auction and signature theatrical performances at their fundraising Diamond Jubilee. Burt Reynolds will be welcomed as the guest of honor to the stage where he performed more than fifty years ago. Tickets are $150.

Tickets for both events and the upcoming play, The Drowsy Chaperone, are available at the box office or online at www.lakeworthplayhouse.org.

An application to work as a volunteer at the 2013 Street Painting Festival is included in this newsletter.

Lake Worth Art League outdoor shows in the Cultural Plaza are scheduled for February 2-3, March 2-3 and April 6-7. Information can be found at www.lwartleague.org or 561-586-8666. Art classes are held at their facility on Lucerne and north L Street.

Beach Bon-Fires are on Lake Worth Beach from 6:00pm to 10:00pm, on January 11 and February 8. The City invites everyone to come out and enjoy the beach bon-fires. There is a small fire for roasting marshmallows for the kids (no food will be provided), no alcohol is allowed.

Evenings on the Avenues are on the first and third Friday evenings of the month starting at 6:00pm featuring live entertainment, arts & crafts booths are in the Cultural Plaza.

Art Deco First Wednesdays is a free lecture series at the Historic Art Deco Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Avenue in West Palm Beach, at 7:00pm on the first Wednesday evenings of January, February and March.

Lake Worth Farmers Market continues on Saturday mornings from 8:00am until 1:00pm at Old Bridge Park, directly on the Intracoastal on the north side of the bridge.

A Raw Food Brunch will be hosted by Lake Worth Farmers Market on Saturday March 2 at 11:00am at the Market. Local, raw food will be served in a three course brunch prepared by an artisan chef. Cost is $40 cash or $44 via credit card, call Peter Robinson at 561-283-5856 for reservations.

BRING THE PARROTS BACK TO PARROT COVE

Submitted by Roger Hendrix

Occasionally we do see Parrots fly over toward the Golf Course and I think I know why. You see Parrots love to roost in the tall Australian pines on the golf course. The pine cones on these beautiful historic trees are also a food source. However Palm Beach County has cut down some of these trees. They have been designated as non-native invasive plants and the planting of them is prohibited and they must be removed in certain situations. Parrots also like to eat the berries on Seas Grapes when they occasionally bare. There are plenty of sea grapes currently on the golf course.

If we replanted their food sources in our yards, the parrots would probably return to Parrot Cove. I am working to identify the most popular food sources for parrots that are also non-invasive and inexpensive to buy and plant. Currently dozens of Parrots are living in the billboard between I-95 and Lake Osborne besides the blue building that houses a pet grooming shop. You can also find many parrots around the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach.

Below I have listed the most popular food sources for parrots I have found to date. These trees and bushes are non-invasive according to internet research. If I am incorrect, please let me know. I encourage planting these in your yards or set up a feeder stand.

Florida Black Olive (also known as Oxhorn, Bucida buceras, Gregory wood) is an ornamental and is the most important food source for wild parrots. Though commonly called `black olive tree’, this native of the upper Florida Keys is not the edible olive we know and love, but does produce a small, black seed-capsule. Black olive can grow 40 to 50-foot-tall. A evergreen tree with a smooth trunk holding up strong, wind-resistant branches, forming a pyramidal shape when young but developing a very dense, full, oval to rounded crown with age.

Note that the Black Olive can cause problems for other plants in your yard and Australian Pines can no longer be planted.

The diet of Parakeets is variable, depending on local availability of seeds, fruits, berries, nuts, flowers, and leaf buds. Throughout their introduced range, Parakeets obtain much of their food from bird feeders. They also eat grass seeds, acorns, pine nuts, cedar berries, palm fruits, dandelions, apples, or bird seed. They will sometimes forage in flocks, while “sentinels” perch on high vantage points to keep a lookout for predators.

Parakeets nest in natural or man-made sites. In Florida, they commonly nest in tall palm trees, Australian pines, Norfolk Island pines or more commonly on radio towers, light poles, and electrical utility structures. Parakeets are unique among parrots, in that they are the only parrot that builds nests out of sticks rather than nesting in cavities. They select nest material from whatever is readily available nearby, which in Florida often consists of landscape plants such as bougainvillea. Parakeets are highly social and often build large communal nests made up of many individual chambers, each of which houses a pair of birds.

Set up a bird feeder and fill it with birdseed that will attract not just wild parrots but other birds as well. In order to make sure that the wild parrots nesting around your yard are healthy, you should regularly add fresh fruit and vegetables to the bird seed.

CITY OF LAKE WORTH VIP – VOLUNTEERS IN POSITION – PROGRAM

Submitted by Mary Lindsey

The City of Lake Worth is now accepting applications for volunteer positions throughout the City’s various departments. If you have any number of skills to assist City Staff in providing services in clerical duties, answering the phones, reading and other programs at the Library and a host of recreational program opportunities, come join the City of Lake Worth! Please contact Silvina Donaldson, Volunteer Coordinator at 586-1730 or by email at sdonaldson@lakeworth.org. All you have to do is fill out a Volunteer application in Human Resources, detailing the skills you have and would like to use in service to the City, what department you may prefer to work in, and your hours of availability. After a background check has been completed, you will be notified when and where to go for the mandatory drug testing. There is no fee to the volunteer for the test. Volunteers will then be issued a City of Lake Worth Volunteer identification card and mutually establish a convenient work schedule with the department’s Director, who will be the Volunteer’s supervisor. Come join the City of Lake Worth, make new friends and make a difference in your community!

On a personal note: I have been a volunteer at City Hall for almost a year now in the City Clerk’s office. I can attest to how grateful the City is for any help we citizens can offer. Everyone has been warm and welcoming and every task I’ve been asked to do has been thoroughly explained and I’ve been provided with everything necessary (training and supplies) to do the job. I thought I knew a lot about how our City works, but the last year has been a revelation and a very enjoyable experience. I highly recommend the program for those who have a little spare time to help our City. . . Mary Lindsey

During the last three month period four properties were sold on the MLS in our beloved Parrot Cove. The depressing prices unfortunately drag along. As an average these properties sold at $93.89 per square foot. The low price was $68.53 per square foot, and the bright shining star of this period was 1118 N. Lakeside that sold at full asking price $450,000.00 which is $159.63 per square foot. For well kept houses of good quality there is hope.

A good sign is that the inventory (houses for sale on the market) keeps shrinking. The inventory is now about 56% lower that same period last year. Hopefully, this will lead to a price curve starting to bend upwards.